We booked a 10 day cruise with PG because the itinerary was the most extensive one we found. Seven islands and some multiple day stays on some islands. It was a specially arranged cruise for cruisers who are repeat customers of the Paul Gauguin, but it was not limited to just those folks. One stop (Maupiti) had to be missed because of sea conditions were too rough for the tender to safely land. That gave us more time in Bora Bora and that was a spectacular location to spend more time.

THE FOOD: With our experience of cruising on luxury ships (including Crystal), we were most favorably impressed by the performance of this crew and staff. The food in the main diming room, l'Etoile. is exquisite. It is only open for dinner service and requires no reservation with open seating. The menu has 3-4 choices for every course and the menu changes every day. The 4-8 wines are chosen by the staff each day and poured at all the restaurants throughout the day. The dinner menus at the two other restaurants (Le Grill and La Veranda) change once per week. Having dinner at those smaller restaurants (with limited seating) requires reservations which are made on board 1-4 days in advance with the maître d' of that particular location. The dinner menus at those two other places are different from the main dining room. Breakfast and lunch are served at Le Grill and La Veranda as buffet, but you can also order menu items if buffet is not your idea of how to eat.

THE SHIP: Immaculate and beautiful. Well appointed rooms even at the lowest price level. Great public areas and roomy. Good distribution of bars. La Palette on the stern of the ship is a favorite. Elevators are fast. Read more